JOHN BOEHNER TO REPUBLICANS: 'Don't Make Plans For Christmas'

House Republican leaders slammed President Barack Obama's fiscal
cliff plan again Wednesday morning, pledging that the GOP
conference would remain in Washington through Christmas in order
to get a deal.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric
Cantor doubled down on their calls for President Barack Obama to
put specific spending cuts on the table.

"It's mainly tax hikes," Boehner said of Obama's plan. “The
longer the White House slow-walks this discussion, the closer our
economy gets to the fiscal cliff and the more American jobs are
placed in jeopardy.”

"The President is walking us ever slowly to the cliff," Cantor
echoed. "We're going to stay here right up until Christmas,
through the time and period before the new year."

The pair reportedly delivered a similar message to the Republican
House conference earlier Wednesday, telling GOP members to
prepare to stay in Washington, D.C., over the winter holiday
break.

The Republican leadership's message follows a new set of offers
on the fiscal cliff deal. Earlier this week, the White House
presented House Republicans with a new offer that reportedly
reduced its call for new revenue to $1.4 trillion, down from the
initial ask of $1.6 billion. In what appears to be a tactical
maneuver , the
new White House plan also included a call for corporate tax
reform.

For now, however, it appears as though both parties remain far
apart on revenue. But the channels of communication are still
open. Boehner confirmed Wednesday that he and the president spoke
by phone last night and had a "frank conversation about just how
far apart we are."

*This post has been updated. The original version was posted
at 10:02 a.m.